ENPOWERING ELDERS A SHOWER OF RAIN BEFORE THE SUNSET HELP THE ELDERLY – HEAL A LIFE Thursday, 7th September, 2017

India is today home to 100 million senior citizens. The pity is that today’s rapid urbanization has overtaken the traditional value-system of our people and shifted their socio-economic priorities. Sons and daughters and their children find no time for the senior citizens in their family. The elderly, who have provided their services and support to the society, feel unloved and neglected at this phase of their lives. Their deteriorating physical strength and other illnesses related to old age add to their difficulties. Their often poor financial condition, lack of affordable health care and the general neglect by society has propelled HelpAge India to step in and bring in elder welfare programs and advocate for elder friendly policies over 36 years.

HelpAge is a platform working in 52 countries with its head Office in London and Delhi with and for disadvantaged elderly and has become the representative voice for India’s elderly. Dedicated to improving the status for India’s senior citizens, it works in 23 states providing medical services, poverty alleviation and income generation schemes in urban and rural India. It welcomes all those who wish to support, donate or sponsor online and those who want to volunteer to help elderly citizens.

HelpAge also holds seminars in the schools to create awareness in the young generation to give due care, love and attention to their elders. On Wednesday, 8th September, 2017, Mr Pankaj Sinha, Deputy Director – RM (UP) along with Mr Shivam Singh visited The Jain International School and addressed all the students and motivated them by showing documentaries depicting how lonely our elders are today. They urged the students to take good care of them both physically and emotionally and also requested them to donate for this good cause. The students who will donate will be gifted with tokens like badges, autographs of cricketers, trophies, etc

What better way could there be than to help children experience the life of elders in society, family or in their neighbourhood. It would be a heavenly experience to charge our neglected elders with love and life.